Holder for paintings



Dec. 10, 1957 p, c u 2,815,600

HOLDER FOR PAINTINGS Filed Feb. 21, 1955 u 7 gs za 'HUWAPD Pam/0L5 22 "4 INVENTOR.

11:1) AGENT United States The invention relates to a holder for paintings and more particularly to a holder providing an open end pocket for receiving the painting and a work area on which successive portions of the painting can be exposed for receiving paint, the unexposed portion of the painting being maintained in the holder and the part of the holder covering the painting permitting the hand to be placed thereon for applying the paint to the exposed portion.

At the present time, paper, cloth and/or canvas are printed much in the fashion of a completed jig-saw puzzle wtih the different areas numbered in accordance with various colors of paint. By applying the color corresponding to the number in each area, a complete painting is made. In most instances, oil paints are used and, as is known, such paints require a considerable time to dry. Also, since the same color may appear in widely scattered segments of the painting, it is often difficult to apply more than one color at a time to the canvas because of the length or" time required for the previously applied color to dry. In other words, since most persons apply the color with the canvas on a horizontal surface or a surface which is inclined slightly from the horizontal, the hand with Which the paint is being applied must be moved over the surface of the painting. If suflicient time has not been allowed to permit complete drying of the paint previously applied, it is almost certain to be smudged or wiped by the hand into an adjoining area.

In order to overcome these shortcomings and to permit the paint to be applied to any area at any time with no danger of smudging or wiping, the present holder has been devised. The aforementioned disadvantages are readily overcome by a holder for the canvas which can be used in a horizontal or inclined position to advantage. The holder comprises two spaced panels of equal width and difierent lengths and which are maintained in such spaced relation by members arranged along three sides of the smaller panel. The space between the panels provides a pocket in which the canvas can be inserted, the pocket being formed by the panels and spacing members along the three sides of the smaller panel with an open end on the fourth side of the smaller panel. The longer panel extends from the open end of the pocket and pro vides a support and work area for the canvas when it is withdrawn from the pocket for applying paint thereto. In addition, the outer surface of the smaller or upper panel provides a support for the hand as paint is applied to the canvas. Such an arrangement permits applying paint to any area across the canvas without any danger of the paint being smeared or smudged by the hand.

In the disclosed arrangement of the invention the spacing members for maintaining the panels in their spaced relation are also spaced from one another to provide a series of apertures along the three sides of the pocket; These apertures or openings serve a dual purpose in that they permit air to circulate over the canvas when it is within the pocket either during the time paint atent O M 2,815,600 Patented Dec. 10, 1957 is being applied to a portion thereof or when it is entirely within the pocket for purpose of storage. The apertures, which are in alignment along two sides of the pocket, also permit a member to be inserted therein which serves to engage the edge of the canvas to maintain it in its extended position. Such a member can be positioned in any pair of aligned apertures and, hence, can be positioned in successive pairs of such apertures as successive portions of the canvas are exposed to receive paint.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a holder for paintings having a pocket for receiving the painting or canvas and a work area on which successive portions of the canvas are exposed to receive paint.

Another object of the invention is to provide a holder for paintings having an open end pocket for receiving the painting or canvas and in which the holder provides a work area for the canvas and a support for the hand over the cnavas and adjacent the work area.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a holder for paintings in which two spaced panels provide an open-end pocket for the canvas, a work area for applying paint to the canvas and a support area for the hand, the three sides of the pocket being provided with apertures to permit circulation of air over the canvas and opposite pairs of apertures being used to position. a number for maintaining successive portions of the canvas on the work area.

And yet another object of the invention is to provide a holder for paintings which is simple in construction, easy to use and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art by the description of the invention which follows.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawing wherein like reference numerals designate like parts and wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a holder constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the holder shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section through the holder and showing the positioning member in relation to a pair of the spaced apertures formed by the spacing member;

Fig.1. is a plan view of a portion of the holder and showing the structure of the positioningmember and its relation to one of the aligned apertures;

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view through one of the spacing members and showing the manner in which the panels and spacing members are secured together, and

Fig. 6 is a detail end elevation view of the holding member.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in Fig. 1 in which the bottom panel 10 is disclosed tas being equal in width to top panel 11 but longer in length. Panels 10 and 11 are maintained in spaced relation by spacing members 12 which are spaced along three edges of panel 11 and secured to panels 10 and 11 by means of rivets 13, as shown in Fig. 5, or by any other similar means. The surfaces of panels 10 and 11 and spacing members 12 provide, in effect, a pocket'or receptacle 14 having an open-end 15. Panel 10, which is longer than panel 11, extends beyond the open end 15 of pocket 14 a distance at least equivalent to one-half the length or depth of said pocket, the extending portion 16 providing a work area on which the painting or canvas 17 is supported, as shown, when paint is to be applied thereto. The outer surface 18 of panel 11 provides a surface on which the hand, as indicated by the numeral 19 in Fig. 1, can be positioned when applying paint to the canvas.

The width of panels and 11 can vary in accordance with the width of a particular canvas to be used or can be of such width as to accomodate a number of canvases within certain limits. In the same manner, the length or depth of pocket *14can also be varied depending on the size of the canvas. With respect to the separation of the panels, it has been found that a spacing of the order of approximately one-halt" inch, when panels 10 and 1 1 are about one-eighth inch thick, is satisfactory. However, this dimension may also vary without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Byproviding separate spacing members 12 around three edges of panel 11 and spacing said members along the edges and in alignment along the opposite edges, it has been found that freshly applied paint will dry as quickly within the pocket 14 as in the open air. This is due to the fact that the openings or apertures which are formed along the three edges of the pocket 14 by spacing members 12 and panels 10 and 11, together with open end 15, permit the air to freely circulate over painting 17 when entirely or only partially within pocket 14.

In applying paint to a canvas which is in a horizontal or inclined relation to the hand, it is customary toapply the paint thereto by stroking the brush in a direction toward the hand rather than away from it. As a result, the tendency by such strokes of the brush is to move canvas 17 toward the bottom of the pocket and such movement may very well cause the paint to be applied to an area other than that originally intended. To overcome this inward movement of the exposed portion of the canvas, a holding or stop member 21 is utilized in cooperation with aligned apertures 20 on opposite sides of pocket 14.

Holding member 21 comprises an engaging portion 22 which is substantially the size of apertures 20 and which is mounted on or integral with plate 23 whose height is greater than that of apertures 20, the lips 24 acting as a stop. Plate 23 carries a finger portion 26 for removing and inserting member 21 from and into apertures 20. Strip 27 is secured at one end to portion 22 and plate 23 by screws 28 and is preferably seated in recess 29 in said portion and plate. Strip 27 is s'ufiiciently long to extend completely across pocket 14 and into aperture 20 opposite the one engaged by portion 22 and is substantially the height of the inside of pocket 14 between the panels with one edge thereof in engagement with the bottom of pocket 14 or panel 10, as shown in Fig. 3. The surface of strip 27 which faces open end 15 can then engage the edge of the canvas to prevent inward movement thereof.

Holder 21, therefore, assists in maintaining canvas 17 in its exposed position in either a horizontal or inclined position and by withdrawing the canvas and positioning holder 21 in the apertures 20, starting at the one nearest the bottom of the pocket, successive portions of the canvas can be exposed beyond the open end 15 on area 16. Accordingly, an unpainted printed canvas is positioned in pocket 14, successive portions are then painted and, upon completion of any portion of the canvas, then completely inserted in the pocket. When in the exposed position, since the hand is always positioned on surface 18 of panel 11 as paint is being applied, there is no danger of smudging or blurring the paint. When the canvas is completely inserted in the pocket, the holder may be placed most anywhere with no danger of the paint being smeared by an article inadvertently placed thereon and, at the same time, air is permitted to circulate over the paint to dry it.

From the foregoing description, it is evident that the holder embodiesrnany useful advantages and can be produced inexpensively. Further, while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed and .de scribed with respect to painting, it is evident that it need not be limited to this disclosure in that such a holder can be utilized to advantage for many other purposes, for example, drawings of any kind, and particularly charcoal drawings, as well as for retouching photographic negatives, applying free hand ink lettering to drawings, etc., all of which require that care be exercised to prevent smudging when working thereon. Although no reference has been made heretofore with respect to the materials from which such a 'holder can be made, it is to be understood that wood, plywood, fibre board, one of the light weight metals or plastic can be utilized. Also in order to view the entire painting 17, panel 11 can be of a transparent material, such as glass or plastic. It is also to be understood that irrespective of the material used, panel 11 must be sufiiciently rigid to support the hand and forearm.

Since many modifications of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the :art, the disclosed embodiment is merely illustrative and the invention is defined by the appended claims.

Having now particularly described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States and what I claim is:

l. A receptacle for paintings providing a work area on which successive portions of the painting in the receptacle can be exposed to receive paint, comprising in combination a pair of spaced panels of different lengths and equal widths, a plurality of members arranged in spaced relation along three edges of the shorter panel to maintain said panels in spaced, parallel relation and to form an open-end pocket therebetween for receiving said painting, said members along the two opposite edges of the shorter panel being aligned to form with said panels apertures therebetween for permitting circulation of air over the painting in said pocket, the longer panel extending beyond the open end of said pocket a distance equivalent to at least one-half the depth of said pocket to provide a support for the painting when it is partially withdrawn from said pocket and the shorter panel providing a support for the hand when paint is to be applied to the portion of said painting extending from said pocket.

2. A receptacle for paintings providing a Work area on which successive portions of the painting in the receptacle can be exposed to receive paint, comprising in combination a pair of spaced panels of different lengths and equal widths, a plurality of members arranged in spaced relation along three edges of the shorter panel to maintain said panels in spaced, parallel relation and to form therewith an open-end pocket for receiving said painting, said members along the two opposite edges of the shorter panel being aligned to form with said panels apertures therebetween for permitting circulation of air over the painting' when in said pocket, the longer panel extending beyond the open end of said pocket a distance equivalent to at least one-half the depth of said pocket to provide a support for the painting when it is partially withdrawn from said pocket and the shorter panel providing a support for the hand when paint is to be applied to the portion of said painting extending from said pocket, and means adapted to be positioned in any pair of aligned apertures for engaging the bottom of said painting to maintain it in its withdrawn position.

3. A receptacle for paintings providing a work area on which successive portions of the painting in the receptacle can be exposed to receive paint, comprising in combination a pair of spaced panels of different lengths and equal widths, a plurality of members arranged in spaced relation along three edges of the shorter panel to maintain said panels in spaced, parallel relation and to form therewith an open-end pocket for receiving said painting, said members along the two opposite edges of the shorter panel being aligned to form with said panels apertures therebetween. for permitting circulation of air over the painting in said pocket, the longer panel extending beyond the open end of said pocket a distance equivalent to at least one-half the depth of said pocket to provide a support for the painting when it is partially withdrawn from said tain successive portions of said painting in the exposed popocket and the shorter panel providing a support for the sition. hand when paint is to be applied to the portion of said References Cited in the file of this patent painting extending from said pocket, and a member insertable in successive pairs of the aligned apertures for pro- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS viding an adjustable bottom for said pocket and to main- 771,995 Meyers Oct. 11, 1904 

